Easy 1-Pot Massaman Curry

Excuse us while we dive head-first into this creamy, luxurious, 1-pot Massaman-inspired curry.

What makes this recipe easy, you ask?

It’s made without store-bought Massaman curry paste, which can be difficult to find, utilizing red curry paste instead!

It uses ingredients you likely have on hand right now.

We include protein options for vegans, pescatarians, and meat-eaters so you can customize and simplify as needed!

Let’s do this!

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What is Massaman Curry?

Massaman curry is a fusion of Thai- and Indian-style curries, utilizing both a red-style curry paste (Thai influence) and dry whole spices like cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and nutmeg (Indian influence). Another essential ingredient is roasted peanuts, which add an extra layer of richness and texture to the curry.

What Makes Our Recipe Easier?

Initially, we were planning to make this curry using homemade Massaman curry paste, as it can be difficult to find in stores and some brands just flat out don’t taste good.

While we were able to get close to what we were looking for, we realized it’d be way easier to rely on traditional Thai red curry paste and customize the flavor with spices you likely have on hand right now. This helps avoid having to make curry paste from scratch or buy special curry paste from the store. It’s a win-win if you ask us! While not a traditional approach, it does get this flavorful, robust curry on the table fast!

This recipe is also easy to prepare as it’s made entirely in 1 pot depending on the protein you choose to serve it with.

How to Make Vegan Massaman Curry

Massaman curry is typically made with meat, but it’s incredibly easy to keep it vegan-friendly by substituting the meat with tofu or tempeh. We include options in the recipe below for vegans, vegetarians, pescetarians, and meat eaters!

Thankfully, this is a recipe that’s easy to modify for different dietary restrictions without too much fuss (simply prepare your protein of choice — such as our Crispy Baked Peanut Tofu — on the side and add when serving).

How to Make your Curry Lighter

As with most Thai curries, coconut milk is the main component of the sauce, which helps create a rich, creamy, and naturally sweet base.

However, to lighten this curry up, you could always sub up to half of the coconut milk with vegetable broth or water. Just be sure to adjust the flavor as needed as vegetable broth will add more saltiness and water will likely require more salt to taste.

What to Pair with Massaman Curry

Massaman curry is delicious on its own, but would also pair well with:

This would make the perfect dish to make for hosting, or when you’re craving some weeknight comfort. It’s delicious on its own, but pairs especially well with white rice, brown rice, or quinoa. To keep this recipe grain-free, simply serve with cauliflower rice or steamed or roasted vegetables of choice (our favorite being steamed or roasted broccoli).

Instructions

PROTEIN OPTIONS

Or, to keep this a 1-pot recipe, simply add (pressed) cubed extra-firm tofu to the curry in the last 10 minutes of cooking or sauté pressed tofu in a little oil and season with salt, pepper, and curry powder before cooking the curry. Set aside, then add back in in the last few minutes of cooking for best results.

Alternatively, add meat such as shrimp or chicken to the curry once it's simmering (during step 4) and simmer until cooked completely through.

The liquid should cover all of the ingredients — if it does not, add a bit more coconut milk or water to cover. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.

Once it reaches a low boil, reduce heat to a simmer (add meat at this time if cooking with shrimp or chicken) and cook for 10-15 minutes uncovered. You don't want it boiling, so ensure it's cooking over low heat at a simmer.

Add lime in the last few minutes of cooking and stir. Then taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more lime for acidity, salt or coconut aminos for saltiness, curry paste for heat / more intense curry taste, maple syrup for sweetness, cinnamon or nutmeg for warmth, or peanut butter for creaminess / more intense peanut flavor.

Stir and cook a few minutes more. Then turn off heat and let stand for at least 5 minutes before serving (this allows the flavors to meld).

To serve, divide between serving bowls and enjoy as is or with a side of rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa, or steamed greens (optional). Fresh lime juice, cilantro, and roasted peanuts (optional) make lovely additions as well.

STORAGE

Store cooled leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4-5 days or in the freezer up to 1 month. Reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan. Add more water or coconut milk as needed to rehydrate.

Notes

*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with light coconut milk, the lesser amount of coconut aminos and sweetener, and without tofu or other optional ingredients.

Just made a version with simplified baked tofu. It is absolutely authentic Massaman Curry and was a cinch to make. I had all the ingredients on hand, except for the shallots. Subbed onion. Thanks for another awesome recipe!

Delicious and easy. I added some baby spinach mid-way through cooking, and added red pepper flakes towards the end. Topped with a few chopped ripe tomatoes & cilantro, and absolutely squeeze lime juice at the end. I think this sauce will be delicious with any kinds of veggies, including cauliflower, shredded greens, squashes, etc. love it! Make it!

I had to come back to this comment section because I have been eating this dish all week — and lovin’ it!! It gets better after it’s been in the fridge a day or two. Definitely will add this to the weekly rotation. Perfect transition -weather/Fall food. THANKS! P.S. Subbed one of the cans of coconut milk with a cup of fresh almond milk…perfect!

1st time having AND making curry! What a delicious recipe. The only thing I didn’t have was cardamon . I’m not even sure about the flavor of cardamon so not sure if I missed it or not. I topped with the baked crispy tofu as a protein, which BTW is delicious on its own. I also added a few handfuls of spinach for color. Served on a bed of jasmine rice. In a time crunch, this dish would be awesome with chickpeas rather than the baked tofu. This recipe is an absolute keeper!

Woooooooow! This is super delicious. So warming and easy to make. I loved the aromatics of the shallots, cumin, and coriander sautéing – made for a delicious smelling evening. The portion for this is also pretty substantial, and will definitely last a good bit in my two-person household. This will have to be in rotation for weekly preps!

I made your Crispy Baked Peanut tofu (also, WHOA – nuggets!) along with this, wilted a nice bunch of collard greens (with the remnant peanut sauce from the tofu pan + salt), and cooked up basmati to pair. I subbed one can of light coconut milk for full-fat and ended up adding more red curry paste in the end. I couldn’t stop taking several little spoonfuls of “taste tests” from the pot – even after eating my share. Seriously, what a delight!

Really, really loved this recipe! I used a combo of sweet & white potato since that’s what I had on hand & it was delicious. This will be in the regular meal rotation for the upcoming colder months. Thank you so much for always providing the best recipes, Dana – my family appreciates you. :)

I like my curries a bit spicier, and I guess five tablespoons of red curry paste doesn’t get you very far in that department, so I found myself adding a lot of chili powder and red pepper flakes to this after I did my taste-test. I did really enjoy it once I was able to give it a little kick, though. All of the other ingredients work really well together. Goes great with a coconut Bai. :)

Thanks for sharing, Joey! We also love spicy curries. And in that instance you could add up to 1/2 cup curry paste from the start! And/or add some fresh or dried chilies at the beginning when cooking the shallot / garlic / ginger.

So I’m typically a panang curry girl, but this sounded so good I had to try it. I just made it, and both my husband and I LOVED it. Followed the recipe exactly, started with the lesser amount of water, never added more. I added chopped up raw cubed chicken before it started to simmer, and it was done in the 15 minutes of simmering time. Topped with fresh cilantro, served over brown rice. This is a winner! Thanks so much for the recipe!! :)

This is so good! It came together so quickly in one pot and the flavors are incredible. This is going to be my new go-to curry recipe. The only change I made was to throw in a green pepper that needed to be used. And I used the powdered version of all the spices.

All I can say is that I hope I can get my hands on the red curry paste asap so I can make it. By the way, I love that you included vegan, seafood and meat options. I eat everything :) so right now I am having problem deciding which option to start with :)

This was very delicious! I used massaman curry paste because I had some, so didn’t add the additional spices. I only used one can of coconut milk and water to cover the vegetables as they cooked. Wonderful and will make again!

The second I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it. I make curries often, I love massaman, and I had every single ingredient I needed at home (plus: I added some red peppers and mushrooms to mine). THIS. IS. THE. SH*T! Oh my god. I love it.

Saw this recipe come into my inbox and I knew I had to make it tonight! It’s everything you say it is! Sweet balanced with salty creamy savory..,so satisfying! Since I have an autoimmune condition called lichen planus, I can’t handle chili oils and spices, although I love them. So I cut the chili paste in half and added a little extra cardamom. I didn’t add the peanut butter until the end, so that I could reserve a bowl of the curry without nuts in order to accommodate a nut allergy in the family. It was still delicious even without the peanut butter but the peanut butter added an extra cream and this and that great mommy flavor. I also opted to add one diced chicken breast which cooked beautifully in 15 minutes. This is a must make recipe you’ll absolutely love!

Oh this looks so good! I love your curry recipes! I think if I wanted to save the extra step of seasoning and baking some tofu I might use chickpeas for protein? Although the tofu looks really good….. I like the idea of steamed greens on the side…

This is amazing and super easy to make!!! It turns out super flavorful but we did add a pretty good helping of cayenne for some spice as it wasn’t spicy enough for us without. Definitely add the lime and cilantro at the end, it makes the dish! Thank you so much for this, Dana!!!

Absolutely delicious!!!! I no longer need to go to a Thai restaurant to get Red Curry because thanks to you I can now make it at home. I’ve been looking for a GREAT curry coconut recipe for a long time and now I’ve found it. Big thanks to you!!!!

My husband, 8 month old baby and I absolutely loved it! We can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow! We baked a couple chicken breasts, cubed them, and added them to the curry at the end. We ate it over basamati rice. Thanks for an excellent dinner that we will make many more times!

This is super easy to follow and absolutely delicious. My husband loves curries and this is simple version to put together in no time. I made the chicken option and followed the directions as stated. ITS DELICIOUS. I love her tofu recipes but decided to use the rest of the chicken I had left in the fridge.

This sounds delicious! For the vegan option, would it be just as good to make a batch of baked tofu to throw in? The peanut tofu sounds like a bit of extra work and I wonder if all that flavor would be lost in the curry anyway.

Why are you all of sudden advocating animal products in your recipes? I know there’s more money to be made this way, but it goes against why I (and probably many others) started to follow you in the beginning: Plant based recipes. Nothing else. It’s a bummer to see this new route you’ve taken

Hi David. We’ve never been a strictly vegan website. We instead embrace a plant-forward way of eating, which for some people may include thoughtfully-sourced animal proteins (which is why you’ll see those options listed in the notes of this curry). Also, moving forward we will be sharing more egg and meat recipes. If you’d like to see only our vegan recipes, you can visit our recipe page and select “special diet” and then “vegan.”

Hello! My kiddos are into curry “sauces” that they can put as much or as little as on their rice, quinoa, or lentils. Is this spicy? Is there something to substitute the peanut to make it safe for me to send in my kiddos lunch? Thanks in advance. :)